No... it's all wrong...
by Kaikoura
Summary: Harry's parents are there to see him off at the station. Why is Ginny the only one who sees a problem with this? *Full story up*
1. Default Chapter

Authors note: This is my first ever fic, so please review. And feel free to flame me, I'll learn nothing from compliments, so tell me if you hate it, and tell me how I could make it better. But don't be cruel. Oh, and its PG13 because of references later on.  
  
Disclaimer: Its not mine. None of it. Billywigs, platform 9 ¾, Lily Potter, etc. They all belong to someone else.  
  
  
  
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Ginny wrestled with her suitcase as she stepped through the barrier to platform 9 ¾. The twins had put a spell on all the suitcases so that they would try to escape.  
  
Ron stepped through the barrier after her, but the concentration it took caused him to loosen his grip on the suitcase handle, and it wrenched away from him, skittered across the platform and knocked over Draco Malfoy.  
  
Ginny silently cheered for that, as the suitcase slid swiftly away from the fuming Malfoy. Ron dropped Pig's cage and sprinted after the bag, followed by Mr and Mrs Weasley.  
  
Ginny squeezed the handle of her own battered suitcase and dragged it in the opposite direction to the way it wanted to go. She saw Harry standing with two people, a man and a woman, his own suitcase lying obediently at his feet.  
  
Ginny went over to say hello, but she stopped. The people weren't the Dursleys  
  
"Be good Harry." The woman warned loudly. Ginny saw Harry's cheeks colour in embarrassment.  
  
"I will, Mum." He assured her, his voice low so no one could hear him.  
  
"Okay." She said, brushing some invisible lint off the shoulder of his robes. "Now, you remember to do your homework on time, and be respectful to your teachers, and don't hang around that horrid Slytherin, he's a bad influence. And practice your Quidditch every day, and please don't forget to polish your equipment regularly, you want to keep that new telescope in good condition, it has to last until seventh year-"  
  
"Lily." The man silenced her with a laugh. "Harry'll be fine. He's a good boy." He laid an arm across her shoulders.  
  
"I know James. But this is such an important year, with his exams just around the corner, and all his extra responsibilities as prefect."  
  
"He'll do just fine. And don't forget to leave yourself time to have some fun. Play some pranks on Snape for me." The man said, ruffling Harry's already messy hair.  
  
"James, don't encourage him." The woman chided.  
  
"Oh, he knows right from wrong Lily. Let's go." He turned and led her away. As they passed, Lily turned and smiled at Ginny. "Hello dear." She said warmly, her green eyes sparkling. Ginny's eyes widened. Those eyes. Those eyes were exactly like the ones Ginny had drawn n her schoolbooks when she wasn't listening in class. Just like the ones she had daydreamed about over the summer. The eyes she had written a poem about in her first year.  
  
She had Harry's eyes.  
  
She could only be.  
  
Lily Potter.  
  
Ginny's hands flew to her mouth and she backed up quickly. "You.you.you." she stammered.  
  
"What's wrong dear?" Lily asked, her expression concerned. "Have I sprouted horns again?" she ran her fingers through her lovely red hair.  
  
"No, mum. You look beautiful. What's wrong, Ginny?" Harry asked, frowning at her.  
  
"She.she.she." Ginny attempted to form words, pointing at Lily, unable to explain.  
  
"We're going to be late Lily." James said uncomfortably, staring at Ginny.  
  
"Hey, why is Ron's suitcase flinging itself against the barrier?" Hermione asked, walking up with her cat in her arms. "Hi, Mr and Mrs Potter."  
  
Ginny turned. Ron's suitcase was desperately trying to break through the barrier. She turned to look at Hermione. Why wasn't she surprised to see Lily and James?  
  
Ron's suitcase gave one last giant heave. It slammed against the wall, and its ancient seams burst. Ron's clothes flew everywhere. He scrambled after the scattered items, his face scarlet with embarrassment.  
  
Lavender poked a pair of briefs with dancing teddies that cavorted and tumbled across the fabric with her toe. "Very fashionable Ron." She said dryly, a look of distaste on her face.  
  
Ginny leaned her head against the cool glass of the train window. Hermione sat across from her, absorbed in 'Rare Herbs and Fruits of Lesotho.' Harry was telling Ron about a trip around Australia he had taken with his parents over the summer holiday.  
  
Ginny kept sneaking glances over at Harry, who was insisting that he had seen an Antipodean Opaleye Dragon when they visited the Hunter valley.  
  
"That's bull. Hagrid said that they live in New Zealand." Ron said.  
  
"Weren't you listening that day, Ron?" Hermione asked. "Or were you too busy staring at Lavender? Opaleyes have turned up in Australia."  
  
Ron smiled and took Hermione's hand. "As if I'd stare at her when I can stare at you."  
  
"I didn't just see that." Ginny whispered to herself.  
  
"Look at this." Harry said, changing the subject by pulling out a glass jar. Inside was a blue insect.  
  
"A billywig!" Hermione cried in delight.  
  
"Let's get it to sting Malfoy." Ron suggested.  
  
"We can't. Hagrid wants it for a class. Hopefully he'll demonstrate its effects on a Slytherin." Harry said, putting the jar on the table.  
  
"How'd you get it?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I traded a whole bag of dungbombs for it. I met a really nice witch in Sydney, who had all sorts of cool stuff."  
  
"A girl?" Ginny asked sharply.  
  
"No Ginny. A male witch." Ron said sarcastically.  
  
Ginny doodled idly in her Defense Against the dark Arts book. I love Harry. Ginny Potter. I luv Harry P. GW 4 HP.  
  
"Who do you think the new DADA teacher will be?" Alissa Macateer asked her.  
  
Ginny shrugged. "I'm surprised that they haven't cancelled the class. It's a jinx."  
  
Alissa nodded. "I wonder what will happen to this one?"  
  
"Maybe he's a keeper." Ginny said. "We eventually have to get one who'll stay for more than one year."  
  
The new professor arrived fifteen minutes late, puffed and apologetic. "Sorry kids." He wheezed. "I got lost in a secret passage. This place is just as much of a maze as it was when I was here as a student."  
  
He turned and wrote his name on the blackboard, and a chill ran down Ginny's spine.  
  
He learned her darkest secrets. He mocked her. He tried to kill her.  
  
Now he was going to teach her.  
  
Professor Tom Riddle. 


	2. Ch 2

Author's note: OMG, thank you so much the people who wrote reviews!  
  
Disclaimer- Nope, I still don't own any of it.  
  
Ginny hovered outside the portrait hole of the Gryffindor rooms, waiting for someone to come and tell her the password. She had forgotten it already, because she had been too busy thinking about the Potters and Professor Riddle.  
  
"Its 'Chudley Cannons'" Neville told her proudly when he arrived.  
  
"How'd you remember?"  
  
"I've got it written on my hand."  
  
"You can't write it down Neville." She chided. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you wrote the passwords out? The Slytherins broke in and painted the boy's dorms pink."  
  
"It's in magic ink," he explained indignantly. "Only I can see it." He held up a chubby hand, which appeared to be password free, as proof.  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry Neville," she said, stepping through the portal.  
  
She passed Harry in the common room. He was by the fire, doing his Prediction homework. "Hmm. I die young, leaving no children." He muttered to himself, scribbling away. "That should satisfy her."  
  
She headed for the stairs to the boy's dorm.  
  
"You can't go up there." Harry objected, looking up from his book. His glasses dangled at the edge of his nose, and he pushed them back. It was a gesture that Ginny had seen many times, but something seemed very wrong with the picture. She rubbed her eyes, and decided that she was just tired.  
  
Seamus, who was standing on the stairs, raised his eyebrows at her suggestively. "You can come up to our room if you want, Little Weasley."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed past him.  
  
"Ron!" she called. "I need to talk to you!"  
  
There was a muffled curse from the regions of Ron's bed. "Just a second!" he called back. There was a sound like someone scrambling for clothes inside, punctuated by several muffled giggles and regular 'shhh's.  
  
He eventually tumbled out and snapped the curtains closed behind him before she could see in. He turned to her, trying to look nonchalant, running a hand through his messed up ginger hair. "What is it?"  
  
"Ron," she glanced over at the bed. She was sure she could hear someone moving around in there. "When Harry was dropped off at the station, the people there to see him off" she paused for effect "were his parents."  
  
"His parents." Ron repeated slowly. "Gee, Ginny. That's really weird."  
  
She nodded. "I know-"  
  
"Ginny." He interrupted gently. "Harry's parents are always there to see him off at the station. The Potters are the most devoted parents at Hogwarts."  
  
"No!" she insisted. "They're not! Harry's parents are dead! They have been for fifteen years! You-Know-who killed them!"  
  
"Ginny, are you feeling okay? Harry's parents are fine. They can't be dead, or they would have had trouble seeing Harry off. And who's You-Know-Who?"  
  
"Voldemort!" she whispered urgently, shuddering at his name. "Tom Riddle!"  
  
"Tom Riddle?" Ron shook his head. "Ginny, I don't know what you're playing at but there is no possible way that Harry's parents were murdered fifteen years ago by our new DADA professor. Tom Riddle is a pillar of the community. One of Hogwarts' greatest ever graduates. And a great teacher."  
  
"It's all wrong." She whispered. "Why can't you see that - isn't that Hermione's robe you're wearing?"  
  
He looked down at his robe. It was a girls robe with a silver P on it, and he wasn't a prefect. "Um. That's because.because." he stammered, searching for an explanation she would swallow.  
  
Any slim chance he had of getting out of that situation gracefully was ripped to shreds by a peal of hysterical laughter from within the curtains of his bed.  
  
"No, Ginny!" he said, but she flung back the curtains, to reveal Hermione, wrapped in Ron's robe, sitting on his bed.  
  
"Hi Ginny." She said lamely, turning bright red.  
  
Ginny looked from Ron to Hermione. "How long have you been together?" she asked.  
  
Ron frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "We've been together since the second year. She came to stay with us this summer." He informed her. Hermione slid over closer and he put an arm around her waist. "Don't you remember?"  
  
"Are you feeling okay Ginny?" Hermione queried, concerned. "You seem a bit. confused."  
  
"Maybe you should go to the hospital wing." Ron suggested.  
  
"I'll go with you." Hermione offered.  
  
"Perhaps you should change out of my robe first." Ron said with an affectionate grin  
  
"Okay. But you'll have to give me mine." She giggled.  
  
"Ugh." Ginny said, turning her back. "You two are disgusting. I'll go by myself."  
  
Ginny sighed and picked up an ancient copy of 'Teen Witch'. The cover promised to give her nine ways to tell if she was under a love spell, and the hottest new robes for summer.  
  
There didn't appear to be anything wrong with her, but they were making her stay for a few days because memory lapses and hallucinations were not to be taken lightly.  
  
"Ginny," someone said. She looked up from the love spell article. Harry was standing by her bed, weighed down with several heavy tomes. "Professor Riddle sent me to give you these. He said that since you can't attend class, you should study instead. Because, I quote 'you don't want to get behind in this subject'"  
  
"He said that?" she squeaked. Was it some kind of threat?  
  
"Yeah." Harry picked up the discarded magazine and scanned the love spell article. "Hmm. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Looks like Cho's got me under a spell." He flashed her an adorable grin and dropped the books on the bedside table. "Don't work too hard," he warned, before leaving.  
  
What was that about Cho? She wondered, looking at the article again.  
  
Do you think about the person at least twice daily?  
  
Do you suddenly, inexplicably want to see them sometimes?  
  
Do you have no qualms about letting people know how you feel about the person?  
  
Do you plan your life with them years into the future?  
  
Do you find everything about them, even their bad qualities, absolutely adorable?  
  
Do you find yourself willing to do things for them that you wouldn't do for other people- carry books, cook, etc?  
  
Is a large part of your day spent thinking up ways to impress them?  
  
Do you have a picture of them in your wallet/cupboard/bedroom that you can't stop staring at?  
  
Did your feelings for them emerge out of nowhere?  
  
Ginny sighed and threw the magazine on the floor.  
  
Ginny rubbed her eyes and yawned. The room was still in darkness, and her watch said that it was one o'clock in the morning (one oh seven to be exact) but she could hear whispers coming from somewhere.  
  
"I doubt that this location is very safe. What if someone hears us?"  
  
"Dumbledore has a lot of security around since the Philosopher's stone arrived at the school. There are experienced wizards hidden amongst the students, a big black dog patrolling the grounds and guards in invisibility cloaks walking the halls. You wouldn't know that they are there until they sounded the alarm. This is the only safe place."  
  
"But, the patients?"  
  
"They've been given sleeping potions. They won't wake till noon."  
  
Oh, was that what that was? Ginny thought sleepily. She had only pretended to drink hers, as it tasted awful.  
  
"We could go out to the grounds, by the lake?"  
  
"If we went there, we'd trip over every couple at Hogwarts. That annoying weasel and his know-it-all girlfriend would report us immediately."  
  
"Are you sure they'd be out there?"  
  
"I've been watching the comings and goings of those kids since day one. Trust me, they're always out there."  
  
"Fine, but I'll have your head on a silver platter if we get sprung."  
  
"My lord, I know everything that goes on in this castle. This is by far the most secure place."  
  
Ginny's eyes closed. She was trying to figure out who the voices were, but she was fighting against a fog of fatigue that enveloped her. She drifted off to sleep again.  
  
So she didn't hear one of the voices say  
  
"The Weasley girl. Ginny. She knows that something is not right here. Either fix the problem, or kill her." 


	3. Ch 3

"Oi, Draco. You 'lergic to Billywigs?" Hagrid asked, holding up Harry's jar.  
  
"No." Malfoy said.  
  
"Great. Come over 'ere 'en." Hagrid said with a grin, unscrewing the lid. "Giss your arm."  
  
"No." Malfoy said again.  
  
"Come on boy. Twon't 'urt ya. Much."  
  
"I'll tell my father you're trying to injure me."  
  
"Fine. Any other volunteers?" Hagrid asked. "Spoiled brat." He muttered under his breath.  
  
Everyone simultaneously took a step back, leaving Neville, who was slightly slow on the uptake.  
  
"Ah, you're a good boy Nev." Hagrid declared, grabbing for his arm.  
  
"No! Nononononononono!" Neville cried, but Hagrid gripped his arm and began to unscrew the lid of the jar.  
  
Neville screamed. "No! Get away from me!"  
  
"Torturing students Hagrid?" someone asked.  
  
Harry turned. Professor Riddle was leaning against the fence, a good- natured grin on his face. He glanced over at Harry, and, when their eyes met, a searing pain blasted through Harry's head. It quickly subsided, but his knees buckled and he crumbled to the ground.  
  
"Are you alright Harry?" Malfoy asked, appearing beside him.  
  
"I think so." Harry said, touching his head gingerly.  
  
"Careful Harry." Ron warned. "Draco's a bad influence you know."  
  
"That's me." Draco agreed cheerfully, offering Harry a hand.  
  
Harry took it and pulled himself up. "Only according to my mother."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Parents." He said. "You know, my father volunteered to play Santa Claus at this year's Christmas Ball at Hogsmeade. I swear, if he does I'll disown him."  
  
Hagrid and Professor walked off together, apparently forgetting about the students. Hagrid chuckled at something Riddle said. "Sounds like fun."  
  
.......................................  
  
Ginny put her hands over her ears. She had never before noticed how loud silence could be. For the second night in a row she had ignored the sleeping potion, but now she was beginning to wish that she hadn't. She was pretty sure she was the only person in the whole school (or perhaps the whole country) that was awake, it was so quiet.  
  
With a sigh that was barely audible over the deafening silence, she flung back the blankets and swung her feet to the cold floor. Maybe a walk would help.  
  
Every two metres, there was a colourful poster for some kind of event. Ginny didn't pay much attention to them as she wandered through the halls.  
  
She got lost quickly. The hallways seemed to look different in the darkness, and she ended up going through the wrong door.  
  
She stopped beside a portrait of a sleeping woman. "Excuse me." She whispered.  
  
"Wha?" the portrait said, opening one big blue eye. "Whaddayawant?"  
  
"Um, where is this?"  
  
"This is Hogwarts. Can I go back to sleep now?"  
  
"No, where in Hogwarts is this?"  
  
The woman glared at her. "Why is everyone bothering me tonight. First that potter kid, now you and your dopey questions. I'm going back to sleep now."  
  
The portrait on the other side of the hallway opened his eyes. "She's not very helpful that one." He said kindly. He was a chubby red headed man with a jeweled crown sitting at an angle on his head. "What were you wanting to know dear?"  
  
"I'm a bit lost."  
  
He nodded, making his crown slip off and clatter to the bottom of the portrait. "You're the second one tonight. Go straight ahead, then turn left."  
  
  
  
After going straight ahead then turning left, Ginny was still lost. She ended up in a long, narrow corridor, which was in complete darkness, as there were no windows or doors lining the walls, which were painted black. The colourful posters lined the walls here too. It appeared that every inch of Hogwarts was covered in them  
  
A light bobbed at the end of the corridor. Seeing no better alternatives, Ginny walked towards it.  
  
  
  
"Ginny?" Harry asked, surprised.  
  
"Harry" she replied, glancing down at her purple flying pig pyjamas a little self-consciously.  
  
"What are you doing out here?"  
  
"I can't sleep. You?"  
  
"I was admiring this poster." He pointed to one of the posters.  
  
"In the middle of the night?"  
  
He laughed. "Alright. I was planning to have a go at this." He held up a box. Nestled inside was an amulet.  
  
"What's it do?"  
  
"It lets you walk through walls. Dad let me borrow it, but I had to promise that I'd use it only for pranks."  
  
"You should have worn the invisibility cloak. You'll get caught."  
  
"Wear the invisibility cloak? As if dad would let me anywhere near his precious toy."  
  
Ginny looked at the poster. It was advertising a school dance. 'Are you going to this?"  
  
"Yep. It sounds like fun. We have to wear muggle clothes. That should be funny."  
  
There was some finer print at the bottom of the poster. "It says here that we won't be allowed in if we aren't accompanied by a date."  
  
"No problem. Ron can go with Hermione. I'll go with you. That is" Harry suddenly looked a bit shy. "If you want to?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," she said. "I want to go, after all," she added hurriedly. "But don't you want to ask Cho first? Just in case?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "What, and get my head beaten in by Cedric Diggory?"  
  
"But Cedric's-" she started, then she shook her head. "Never mind." 


	4. Ch 4

Ginny tugged on the hem of her muggle dress. She usually wore robes at home, so she was unused to not having the heavy fabric swishing around her ankles.  
  
"Are you sure this isn't too short?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Ginny, that dress falls to your knees. You could wear it to a church." Hermione said impatiently. She was wearing denim jeans and a fluffy brown sweater. Her bushy brown hair was almost contained in a braid.  
  
Ginny was wearing a summery, short sleeved, forest green dress that she had borrowed from Hermione.  
  
"Can we go now?" Hermione asked. "The guys have been waiting for fifteen minutes."  
  
  
  
Harry and Ron stood by the fireplace, chatting. Ginny paused for a second in the doorway, watching them.  
  
They were both smiling, but their expressions looked very forced. Harry's arms were folded, and his stance was standoffish.  
  
From where Ginny was standing, the scene looked very awkward.  
  
"Hermione!" Ron called, sounding relieved. He quickly crossed the room and took her hand. "You look great."  
  
Harry joined them. "Lets go." He said quickly. He took Ginny's arm and smiled at her. His green eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement. She allowed herself to be pulled along, puzzled by his eagerness.  
  
  
  
Harry fidgeted impatiently. His left hand twitched as they sat, staring into the crowd of students.  
  
"Let's go outside." He suggested.  
  
"Outside?" Ginny asked nervously. "We only just got here. Why don't we dance?"  
  
"Fine." He agreed with a sigh. "Then can we go outside?"  
  
He took her hands, but stood as far away from her as possible as they moved into the crush of dancing students.  
  
"Hey, Neville!" a Slytherin called. "That's a clown suit you're wearing!"  
  
Neville looked down at his canary yellow outfit. "What do you mean? I found it at this great muggle clothing shop-"  
  
"Was it a costume shop Neville?" Hermione asked, dragging Ron over to dance near Ginny and Harry.  
  
"Alright, we've danced. Can we go outside now?" Harry asked.  
  
"When did you go all sleazy, Harry?" Hermione asked, yelling over the music that was suddenly turned up.  
  
"Do I have to remind you that she is my sister?" Ron shouted.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and dragged Ginny out of the crowd, towards the exit.  
  
  
  
They passed several lovestruck couples, meandering hand in hand in the gardens, or kissing under the trees. Harry hauled her along impatiently, leading her away from the lit areas, until the music of the dance faded into the background.  
  
"Harry!" she pleaded. "Is it really necessary to be miles away from everyone? I can't walk much farther." She was wearing black high-heeled sandals, and her feet ached.  
  
"Yes. It's necessary." He pulled her off the path, into a small walled garden.  
  
"Harry, you're scaring me."  
  
"That's the point." He suddenly turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. He pushed her backwards, pressing her back against the cool bricks of a wall.  
  
"Harry, please." She whispered. "This isn't funny. I want to go back to the dance."  
  
"No." He freed her right shoulder, but continued the pressure on her left, pinning her to the wall. He pulled his wand out of the back pocket of his pants, and held it underneath her chin.  
  
"That's not your wand, Harry." She whispered, her knees trembling.  
  
He moved the wand, sliding the tip up the side of her face. He gently stroked her cheek with it. The movement would have been tender, if there hadn't been a glow of evil glee in his eyes.  
  
"You're not Harry." She said, her voice trembling at the feel of the wand against her skin.  
  
He jabbed it suddenly into her cheek. She cried out at the sharp pain in her jaw. "You're a bright one. Yes, you're right. I'm not your beloved Harry. Now, how about you use the last few moments of your life to bring joy to my old heart. Prove to me that these years I have spent drilling Potions into your feeble mind have not been wasted. Tell me, little weasel, how could I make myself look exactly like Harry Potter?"  
  
He jabbed her jaw with the wand again. "I don't know." She said.  
  
"Come on! Think! You know the answer! I'll make you a deal. You answer correctly, and I'll consider not killing you."  
  
She closed her eyes. There was not gentleness in the touch of the wand now. He drove it into the already painful flesh of her cheek. She pushed her panicked mind, thinking back to all the Potions lessons, to textbooks and notes and Snape's lectures. "It starts with P." she said. The potion was on the tip of her tongue. "Its Pol- Poly-" she began to cry, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "Polyjuice!" she shouted.  
  
She opened her eyes. He nodded slowly. Relief washed over her. She was right.  
  
He stabbed at her cheek with the wand again.  
  
"You said you wouldn't kill me if I got it right!" she said.  
  
He shook his head. "I said I would consider not killing you. I've considered it, and I'm still going to kill you."  
  
"Why the Polyjuice?" she asked desperately, praying to whoever was listening to spare her life. "Why pretend to be Harry? Why not just kill me as yourself, instead of going to all this trouble?" she tried to stall him.  
  
It made her shudder to see that evil look on Harry's face. "Oh, there are so many reasons to do it this way. But it's mainly because I just love the romantic irony of it. I've been watching you kids. Being asked out by Potter is the one and only thing you think about. To finally have it happen, only for it to turn out like this." He cackled. "Another reason, just as sweet, is that more than a hundred witnesses last saw Ginny Weasley alive leaving the dance with Harry Potter. You die, harry Potter gets sent to Azkhaban for murder. Two problems gone in one go."  
  
He stepped back and held out the wand at chest height. "I'm sick of talking to you now." He closed his eyes, savouring the moment. Ginny began to sob in terror.  
  
"Adavra-"  
  
"Harry, you idiot!" Ron called. "What are you playing at? Even pretending to use that curse can get you sent to Azkhaban." He and Hermione entered the garden, arm in arm.  
  
"I assure you, this is no joke." The person who looked like Harry said.  
  
"That's not Harry." Ginny informed them.  
  
The wand was raised again, this time pointed at Hermione and Ron. "Well, this presents a problem. Killing all three of you isn't really an option."  
  
"You could let us go." Hermione suggested.  
  
"I think not." 


	5. Ch 5

Author's note: I hope you readers haven't all wandered off.  
  
Disclaimer: It still doesn't belong to me.  
  
................................  
  
The Polyjuice potion began to wear off as he herded them up the dark staircase. Harry's features melted away, to reveal Professor Snape.  
  
  
  
Snape flung Ginny into a closet, shoving her so hard that she hit the back wall, bruising her shoulder. She slid to the floor as Ron and Hermione likewise entered the closet.  
  
The dim light disappeared as Snape slammed the door shut, and the lock clicked.  
  
"And that's a thousand points from Gryffindor for ruining my night!" Snape yelled through the door.  
  
Hermione began to cry. Ginny couldn't see her, but it sounded like Ron put his arms around her.  
  
Someone touched Ginny's hand. "It's good to have some company." They whispered.  
  
She gave a little shriek. "Who is that?" she demanded.  
  
"Its me." The voice answered.  
  
"That's really helpful," she said.  
  
"Wait." Hermione said suddenly. "I've got a light."  
  
Something jangled, and a thin beam of light pierced the darkness. It shone in Ginny's eyes, blinding her, then illuminated the face of the unidentified person next to her.  
  
"Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously.  
  
"That's me." He replied.  
  
"How can we be sure it's you?" Ron asked.  
  
"Ron, I'm locked in a cupboard. What possible reason would anyone have to pretend to be Harry Potter locked in a cupboard?" Harry asked.  
  
"Good point." Ron admitted. He reached for the source of the light. "What are these things?"  
  
"It's a key chain." Hermione answered.  
  
Ron shook them. They jangled. "What do they do?"  
  
"They unlock doors. See, this is the key to my bedroom, this is my front door key, this one unlocks my diary-"  
  
"You keep a diary?" Ron asked. "Am I in there?"  
  
Hermione sighed. "Of course you're in there Ron."  
  
"Anything bad?"  
  
Harry interrupted them by stealing the keys. He inspected the key ring, which appeared to be a small torch. "How does this work in Hogwarts?"  
  
"Its magical. It doesn't require batteries." Hermione explained.  
  
"What's a battery?" Ron asked.  
  
  
  
"So, what do you think is going on?" Ron asked. It seemed like hours had passed, but it could have only been minutes.  
  
"Well, its obvious. Snape has finally snapped." Harry replied.  
  
"I think there's more to it than that." Ginny said.  
  
"I'm inclined to agree with Ginny." Hermione said. "Maybe she's not crazy."  
  
"Gee, thanks." Ginny muttered.  
  
Ron walked over to the door and shook the handle. "Hello!" he shouted. "Help!"  
  
"No one can hear us," Ginny said.  
  
"Well, aren't you just little miss sunshine?" Ron snapped. "Isn't there supposed to be invisible guards patrolling the halls?"  
  
"Tell me, are we anywhere near the hospital wing?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Right next to it." Harry answered.  
  
"There are no guards in the hospital wing. For the patients' privacy." Hermione said.  
  
"Great. Just great." Ron said. "So, what do we do?"  
  
"We wait." Harry whispered. "We just keep waiting." 


	6. Ch 6

Author's Note: Could one of you nice people help me? I remember the Avada Kedavra, the killing curse, but the other two have slipped my mind. Anyone who can tell me what they are and what they do can have a lollipop.  
  
Disclaimer: They're not mine. If they were, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. I'd be using my millions of dollars to carry out my evil plan to become the next Duchess of Edinburgh.  
  
  
  
...................................  
  
Ginny's feet were going numb. She readjusted her position, stretching her legs as much as she could, kicking Harry in the process.  
  
"Ow." He muttered.  
  
"Sorry." Ginny whispered. "Did I wake you up?"  
  
"No, I was already awake. I'm a bit too cramped to sleep properly. It's hard to get comfortable in such a small space with four people."  
  
"Ron and Hermione seemed to have no trouble"  
  
"Well, they're conserving space."  
  
Ron was asleep sitting up, his head against the wall cushioned by his rolled up jacket. His arms were around Hermione, who was curled up in his lap with her head resting on his shoulder.  
  
Harry sighed. His boots scraped against the floor, so Ginny assumed that he was also shifting around in an attempt to find a more comfortable spot. "It was far more comfortable yesterday." He complained.  
  
"Well, you had a bit less company yesterday." Ginny pointed out. She ran her hand across the floor, brushing Harry's leg. Her fingertips touched Hermione's keys. She picked them up, and fumbled for the switch of the little torch.  
  
"Afraid of the dark?" Harry asked with a warm chuckle.  
  
"No." Ginny said, momentarily glad for the darkness as her cheeks flushed slightly. "Just- "  
  
"Its okay. It's giving me the creeps too."  
  
Harry leaned over and took the key ring from her. She chided herself for the little thrill she got when his fingers brushed hers. It was hardly a romantic action.  
  
The light danced around her head as he turned the torch on her. Harry gasped as it fell on her cheek.  
  
"What?" she asked insecurely.  
  
"You've got bruises." He reached out and gently traced a circle on her cheek. "Little purple circles."  
  
"Yeah. Snape's wand.." She explained softly.  
  
Ginny could just make out Harry's face as he moved closer to her. "I'm sorry Ginny."  
  
She smiled. "It's hardly your fault."  
  
"Yes, it is." He insisted. "If I hadn't asked you to that stupid dance, you'd be safe in your own bed right now, instead of locked in a cupboard with me."  
  
"Harry, Snape went to a lot of trouble tonight. I doubt that he attacked me on a whim. If you hadn't asked me, he just would have tried to do it some other way."  
  
It was strange. His scar was completely invisible. She put it down to the darkness and closed her eyes.  
  
  
  
Ginny yawned. It took her a second to realise where she was. She blinked in confusion, staring into the darkness. Instead of her warm blankets, she was wrapped in an early morning chill. She shivered and rubbed her arms.  
  
Harry stirred beside her. Ron's snoring had stopped, so she assumed that he was also awake.  
  
"Morning." She mumbled.  
  
"What time is it?" Ron asked sleepily.  
  
"Time has no meaning in the darkness." Hermione muttered.  
  
"That's deep." Harry said.  
  
"Wish I could claim ownership to it." Hermione said. "It was actually first said by a muggle physicist."  
  
"Can't you go two minutes without acting knowledgeable?" Ron asked affectionately.  
  
"I'm still living in the hope that you'll take some interest in learning." Hermione giggled.  
  
They started kissing. Ginny stuck her fingers in her ears. She had never noticed how disgusting kissing sounded.  
  
"I'm starving." Harry announced.  
  
"Will Snape bring us food?" Ginny wondered aloud.  
  
"He hasn't fed me at any point, and I've been here for days." Harry said.  
  
Hermione and Ron came up for air. "How could you have been here for days? You've been at all your classes recently." Ron pointed out.  
  
"I dunno. Maybe Snape has been pretending to be me and attending classes."  
  
"But he's been teaching Potions. How could he do both at the same time?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't know." Harry said, clearly irritated.  
  
There were footsteps outside the door. Ginny leapt to her feet, bumping into Harry who was also on his way up.  
  
The footsteps stopped beside the door.  
  
Ginny's heart began to beat faster. Was it someone there to save them? Or Snape, come to kill them?  
  
The lock clicked.  
  
The door swung open, filling the closet with light.  
  
Framed in the doorway was Peter Pettigrew. 


	7. Ch 7

Peter glanced over his shoulder. "Shhhh!" he warned them. "Say one word and you die."  
  
They nodded mutely. He had a wand in his pudgy, limp hand, but he didn't look very threatening.  
  
"What's going on?" Ginny asked.  
  
Peter glared at her. "I said don't talk!" he snapped. "Respect my authority!"  
  
"Did Snape send you?" Ginny asked, fairly confident that Peter wouldn't carry out his threat.  
  
"Snape." Peter's voice dripped with hatred. "No, Snape didn't send me."  
  
"Who did then?" Ginny asked.  
  
Peter laughed mirthlessly, a bitter, angry bark. "Contrary to everyone's belief, I am capable of doing things by myself. Of course, nobody cares about the things I do for the Dark Lord. Its always about Snape, Snape, Snape. Snape did this. Snape made that. Lord Voldemort-" Ginny shuddered, but the other's didn't react at all to the name, "-always tells me that the only thing I ever did right was be the Potter's secret keeper. But this new plan of Lord Voldemort's means that I didn't even do that did I? Instead, I'm just the useless lackey who keeps getting underfoot while Snape is cooking up something else to make him the favourite. But right now, Snape is upstairs in the teacher's lounge telling the Dark Lord that he has four of the biggest thorns in his side trapped. But when Voldemort comes down here, you four will be gone and Snape will look stupid. For once, Snape will do something wrong." Peter's face lit up with glee. Then he turned, and ran off down the hallway, leaving them standing there.  
  
"Who was that?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry answered. "He's one of my father's best friends."  
  
"I don't like the sound of that Voldemort guy." Ron declared.  
  
"He's pretty nasty." Ginny agreed.  
  
"Let's go get our wands, then meet up in the common room." Harry suggested.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ginny guessed that it was about five o'clock in the morning when they gathered by the fire.  
  
"Ginny, I think we should listen to you." Hermione said.  
  
"Well, it's about time." Ginny said in annoyance.  
  
"Tell us everything you know about Voldemort." Ron said.  
  
Ginny took a deep breath and started to recount all of Harry's exploits, from his parent's death to the Triwizard tournament.  
  
"Cedric Diggory is dead?" Ron asked in disbelief.  
  
"My parents are dead?" Harry asked.  
  
"I think I like things better the way they are now." Hermione said.  
  
Ginny sighed. "But it's not right?"  
  
"But maybe this isn't such a bad thing." Harry said gently.  
  
"But Voldemort is strong and in this school." Ginny argued.  
  
"Well, we'll just get rid of him. We've done it before, according to you." Ron pointed out.  
  
"Its not that easy. He's stronger now."  
  
"And your mum isn't here to save you this time," someone said.  
  
"Draco!" Harry said. "What are you doing in the Gryffindor common room?"  
  
"I'm here to save you. I told the Fat Lady that it was an emergency. And it is. While you four are sitting around talking, You-Know-Who is gathering his forces to attack the school from the inside."  
  
"You know about You-Know-Who?" Ginny asked.  
  
Draco nodded. "My father is one of them. He's kept me up to date on what's going on with You-Know-Who."  
  
"Then can you tell us what's going on?" Hermione asked. 


	8. Ch 8

Authors note- Sorry I've been so slow with this chapter. I wandered off to another state for two weeks, and I'm also in the process of moving house. Please, review and tell me if Draco's explanation makes any sense. If it doesn't I'll try and write a better one.  
  
  
  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...  
  
Draco grinned and shook his head. He was being nicer to them than he usually was (as far as Ginny knew), but he wasn't volunteering anything for free. "Now Harry. You've been my friend for years, and I would love to help you, I really would. But my father is a Death Eater. So, by helping you I'm betraying my own family, the family who raised me, cared for me, funded my education…"  
  
"Get to the point." Ron snapped.  
  
"That is the point." Draco said. "I'm losing a lot more than I'm gaining here."  
  
"So, what do you want?" Hermione asked. She reached for her wallet. "I have two galleons and a stick of gum."  
  
Draco shook his head. "Money I have. What I don't have is the experience of seeing Ronald Weasley willingly publicly humiliate himself." He produced a thick sheaf of papers from the folds of his robe. "I wrote a speech for you."  
  
Ron took it and started to read it. "I, Ron, am a penniless, worthless and ill bred nothing who is even lower than Hermione, the stuck up mudblood. My great-great grandfather was a breed of toad and I have dancing teddy bears on my underwear-"  
  
"You don't read it now." Draco interrupted. "Nope. If you survive this adventure, with my help, then you will read this entire speech while standing on a soapbox in Diagon Alley. On Christmas Eve. When the entire wizarding population is there shopping."  
  
Ron scanned the first page. "I hope I die." He said with a sigh.  
  
Harry glanced over Ron's shoulder. "This is pretty long Draco. When did you write this?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "A few weeks back. I never dreamed I would actually find a use for this literary masterpiece."  
  
Hermione waved her hands impatiently. "Okay. It's agreed. Now tell us, please."  
  
"Hey, I never agreed to anything!" Ron objected. "Look at this! Its five pages long and he's written on both sides of the paper. There's three paragraphs about my underwear, and on page two he wants me to tell them that I'm in love with Neville Longbottom!"  
  
"Ignore him. He'll do it." Hermione said.  
  
"Okay." Draco said, "here's how the highly abridged version goes."  
  
"Once upon a time there was a young man called Tom Riddle. He was the kind of guy you would expect to grow up to be psychotic. Raised in a boys home, never shown much affection, abandonment issues… so he does what anyone would do in his situation, and he becomes the Dark Lord and rains pain and destruction down on everyone he meets. Until he meets a small, weak being called Harry Potter. Decides to destroy Harry and his parents, just for a lark I suppose. But Harry repeatedly beats him back. It's quite embarrassing really. Then one day he has a great idea at three o'clock in the morning-"  
  
"Can you tone down the drama?" Hermione asked tiredly.  
  
"'Fraid not. This is a great story. It has to be told this way. Anyway, its three o'clock in the morning and he wakes up from a dream yelling 'Eureka! I've got it!' The plan-" he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Is to go back in time and delay his metamorphosis into You Know Who!" he grinned. "It's brilliant really. This way, he gets to spend his days being an upstanding member of the community, and his nights quietly recruiting Death Eaters. He forms his army much more quickly the second time round, because he knows who will be swayed and who will stay on the path of goodness and light and all that crap. So his army has been in place for close to thirty years, training and preparing and doing minor evil. Waiting patiently for their big debut. And that debut will be tonight, during dinner. The first time, You-Know-Who conquered everywhere except Hogwarts. This time he plans to work backwards. Hogwarts will be the first to fall, because the Death Eaters are right here. And nobody could possibly foresee half the faculty and almost all of Slytherin suddenly beginning to fire horrible curses at anything that moves."  
  
"So basically, Evil Guy went back in time. Stopped himself from becoming evil. Planned a Trojan Horse attack on the only thing that stands between him and world domination. Is going to kill us all slowly and painfully." Harry summarized.  
  
"See what I mean? It loses all its effect if you put it so simply." Draco said.  
  
"Actually, I thought that Harry's explanation was quite effective. Very terrifying." Ron said.  
  
Hermione stood up. "I'm going to the library." She announced.  
  
"Is this really the time to be study- Oh, you're gonna research counter curses. I'll come too." Ron said.  
  
"I understand how that would mean that all the people he killed are still alive, and nobody would be worried when he decided to teach DADA, but I still don't get why those two are together." Ginny said, watching her brother and Hermione go. "I can't really see You-Know-Who being linked to Ron's love life."  
  
Harry raised a hand "Oh! I know the answer to that!" he said cheerfully. "My mum fancies herself a matchmaker. Ron and 'Mione are her greatest success."  
  
Draco glanced around. "I have to go. Never tell anyone that I was here. Tom Riddle is in the teacher's lounge. He's turned it into a sort of Headquarters. It's entirely possible that you'll find some way to put things right again. You always did before, I hear." He looked deeply regretful for a brief second, then his usual arrogant mask returned to his features. "Harry, we're not friends in the other timeline." He warned. "When- if this is all fixed, we'll be sworn enemies." 


	9. Ch 9

Author's Note- The timeline of Harry's incarceration is vaguely like this- Harry asks Ginny to the dance. Ginny runs off and tells the whole universe. Snape finds out, and locks Harry in a cupboard the day before the dance, taking his place. Harry was in the cupboard for two days, making him extremely thirsty, but still alive.  
  
There will be an explanation later as to how Snape taught potions while pretending to be Harry.  
  
The Harry in the cupboard is the real Harry.  
  
I'm Australian, by the way, to answer a question asked ages ago.  
  
  
  
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()() ()()()()()()()()()()()()  
  
Hermione flicked frantically through the pages of several ancient books, bringing up occasional clouds of dust as she shoved them away one by one. She dropped the last one on the floor with a sigh of defeat.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ron asked, looking up from the Quidditch book he was reading (he was taking a break. He'd been taking a break for about an hour and a half)  
  
"I've found nothing!" Hermione complained. "Madam Pince won't let us fifth years anywhere near the books on time travel, and all the decent counter curses are in the Restricted Section" She glanced over her shoulder. The librarian was watching them. It was a bit odd for two students to be in the library when according to the clock they should have been in Charms.  
  
"Hey Ron." Hermione asked. "How fast can you run?"  
  
"I can outrun the twins." He replied. "Why?"  
  
"I'm going to the Restricted Section." Hermione whispered. She thrust a book into his hands. "Make sure Madam Pinch can see you. Then shove this under your jumper and run."  
  
"Why Miss Granger!" Ron said, pretending to be shocked. "I always thought you were such a good girl!" He made a show of concealing the book before turning on his heel and sprinting off.  
  
"Hey! You have to borrow that!" the librarian shouted, running out after him.  
  
Hermione counted to ten before walking calmly over to the Restricted Section.  
  
Harry and Ginny were walking down to the kitchens when Ron and Madam Pince ran past. Ron threw a book at them before ducking into a secret passage behind a tapestry, closely followed by the irate librarian.  
  
"Well. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for that." Harry commented, picking up the book.  
  
Ron returned five minutes later, red and puffing. "She…. caught me but…I didn't have….. the book…so…she had to…let me go." He wheezed. "I just lost five points for Gryffindor."  
  
"That's nothing. We lost a thousand points last night, remember?" Harry said.  
  
"Okay. Do you have any water?"  
  
"We were just going down to the kitchens to get some." Ginny said. "What were you doing?"  
  
"Distracting the librarian. I hope Hermione is out of the Restricted Section by now."  
  
"What's Hermione doing in there?"  
  
"Living dangerously."  
  
Hermione was sitting quietly reading a book when Madam Pince returned. She waited a few minutes until Madam Pince went to another part of the library before leaving with a squirming book bag. 


	10. Ch 10

Ch 10  
  
Harry gulped three glasses of water quickly and poured a fourth. The house-elves attempted to look busy so that Harry and Ginny wouldn't notice that they were actually just standing around staring at them.  
  
"Has Mister Potter gone crazy?" one of them asked quietly, washing a clean bowl.  
  
"I think so." His friend replied, drying the now extremely clean bowl.  
  
"Careful." Ginny warned. "If you drink too much too fast you'll throw up."  
  
"We need a plan." Harry said, putting the half-full glass down on a counter.  
  
"Here's my plan. We wait until Hermione comes up with a plan." Ron said.  
  
Ginny glanced up at the clock. "Eight hours till dinner."  
  
"Great. Because I react so well to a deadline." Harry said, picking up his water glass again.  
  
A door slammed somewhere nearby, making them all jump. Heavy footsteps came towards them.  
  
Harry put his hand over Ginny's and squeezed it comfortingly, but his face was nervous, as if he expected Professor Riddle to burst in and kill them all.  
  
Instead it was Draco.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Ron asked suspiciously.  
  
"I had an attack of conscience, which is weird because I didn't know I had one. I've come to help fight the good fight." Draco said. "So where do I sign? Is there a uniform?"  
  
One uniform, coming right up!" the Weasley twins appeared. Fred was carrying a large cardboard box and George held a clipboard.  
  
"Today just keeps getting weirder." Ron muttered.  
  
Fred dropped the box on a table and pulled out a stack of white hats. Written on the front of each hat was  
  
-Good Guy- in permanent marker.  
  
"That's subtle." Harry said, accepting the hat they gave him.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Well, we were cutting Potions, because we have a test. After breakfast we just went straight back to the tower to test our new line of trick cosmetics..." George began.  
  
"They're great. They look like sensible pastels when they're in the packet, but they change to really loud, garish colours as soon as they come into contact with the skin." Fred interrupted. "And if the wearer looks into the mirror, they won't be able to see that the colour has changed."  
  
"But who did we see leaving the Gryffindor tower? None other than Draco Malfoy, the sneakiest Slytherin of them all." George continued.  
  
"The only way to stop them from tipping me out of a third floor window was to explain exactly what was going on." Draco concluded.  
  
"And I have to say, me and George-" George started.  
  
"I'm Fred you idiot. You're George." Fred corrected.  
  
"Oh. Me and Fred were deeply offended that you were going to save the world without inviting us."  
  
"Well, you're not exactly great at dueling..." Ron explained.  
  
"That's true. That's why we've enlisted the help of some people who are." Fred said. George read from his clipboard. "Oliver, Seamus, Dean, Padma, Darla, Pansy, Charlie, Anita, Sally-Anne..."  
  
" Jae, Nick, Kilna, Paris, Marie, Stevie, Michella..." Fred continued.  
  
"When did you make these hats?" Ron asked, inspecting his carefully.  
  
"I made them while George was off recruiting good guys. We already had the hats because we bought a whole carton of them for a trick. By the way, they might spontaneously combust."  
  
Harry calmly removed his hat and tossed it into a nearby sink. The house elf, watching them instead of his work, picked it up absent-mindedly and began to scrub it with the dishcloth.  
  
"Well, me and George had better go and hand out these hats." Fred said.  
  
"I'd better go find Hermione." Ron said.  
  
"I'll come with you." Draco volunteered.  
  
Hermione was sitting in a hallway, a book in her lap. The pages kept trying to turn themselves to annoy her, so she had her hands pressed firmly on the edge of the page to keep them in place.  
  
"How is it that in this gigantic school we've managed to locate each other four or five times now without knowing where the others will be?" Draco asked.  
  
"Divine intervention." Hermione said, looking up from her book and giving Draco a puzzled look. The book took advantage on her lapse in vigilance to slam closed on her hand. "Ow!" she shrieked. "It bit me! I hate these stupid living books!" she slammed it against the wall a few times to get it to let go. Once it had, she slammed it against the wall one last time just because she hated it.  
  
"Found anything?" Ron asked.  
  
"I've found lots of things. None of them are even remotely useful. This would be much easier if it would stop being so stubborn and let me look at the index or table of contents."  
  
"Of course it won't show you. The table of contents and index is a very private thing for a book. A conscious book letting you see them is like you stripping down to your underwear and dancing round the Great Hall yelling "Look at me, I've got girly bits!"" Draco explained.  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me that isn't a fantasy of yours Malfoy."  
  
"It is, but it doesn't involve you. What are you looking for?"  
  
"At the moment, time travel." Hermione said.  
  
Draco pulled out his wand and tapped the book with it. "Tocio."  
  
The pages began to flip back and forth quickly before eventually coming to a stop on page 952. The pages lay obediently still.  
  
"Wow." Hermione said. "I'm impressed."  
  
"I have many skills." Draco said smugly.  
  
"Okay. Time travel- methods of, identification of, rules and regulations of, pitfalls of, reversal of damage caused by. That's it."  
  
"Okay. So we learn the spell, go to Riddle's office, do the spell, then go have lunch." Ron said.  
  
"Its not that easy." Hermione said. "There are five different spells, depending on what method Voldemort used to go back in time."  
  
Harry sat in silence. Ginny was tapping her fingers on the table nervously to fill in the silence. The house elf was still pretending to wash dishes, even though all the dishes were gone and the water had drained out of the sink. He was just standing there with his hands in the empty sink staring at them.  
  
"You've stopped blushing." Harry blurted out suddenly.  
  
"What?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"I meant, you just seem so much more confident all of a sudden." He explained. He was blushing now, and wishing that he hadn't opened his mouth.  
  
Ginny shrugged. "I haven't had time to be shy."  
  
They fell silent again and she resumed tapping her fingernails on the tabletop. She had nice fingernails, she thought. They were fairly long and well shaped. She couldn't really afford quality nail polish, so she just covered them in a cheap clear varnish.  
  
"What are your parents like?" she asked, desperate to break the awkward silence.  
  
Harry smiled. "They're the best parents I know. Dad still plays the funniest pranks on everyone, and Mum is so sweet, always trying to make other people happy..." his voice trailed off sadly.  
  
Ginny quietly kicked herself. Of all the topics, she had to bring up his parents.  
  
Harry searched the folds of his robes for a second then he pulled out a worn leather wallet. He opened it and pushed it across the table.  
  
The picture in it was slightly fuzzy, but it was unmistakably the Potter family. Ginny began to chuckle.  
  
"What's funny?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, your parents have to be at least thirty-five in this picture. There's a photo back home of my parents in exactly the same pose. Except in that picture my parents are fifteen."  
  
Harry grinned and took the picture back. "My parents never really grew up." He said. The picture was on a beach. They had their back to the water. James was carrying Lily on his back. She had her arms around his neck and her chin resting on his shoulder. His head was tilted to look into her eyes instead of at the camera. It was a muggle photograph, so they were frozen in that pose, which Ginny thought was rather cruel.  
  
Ginny moved closer to harry and put a hand on his shoulder a bit uncertainly. He was crying now, and she'd never seen a boy cry. Except Ron once, when the twins set fire to Mr Wopsy, his toy bunny rabbit.  
  
"We're going to lose so much if we fix this." He said.  
  
"We're going to lose just as much if we don't." she replied, knowing that she wasn't being any help at all.  
  
"Damned if we do, damned if we don't." Harry said, placing his hand over hers on his shoulder.  
  
......................................................................................................................................  
  
A/N - I personally think that this chapter's a bit stupid, but I've been on holidays and my brain has rotted. So flame away. 


	11. Ch 11

Ch 11  
  
"Leche pan aceite ensalada salchichas una patata" Hermione recited. Ron repeated it.  
  
"No." she said irritably. "Its leche pan aceite ensalada salchichas una patata. You have to put the emphasis on the first syllable. Again."  
  
Ron: leche pan aceite ensalada salchichas una patata  
  
"Now you've got the rhythm all wrong. Its leche. Pan aceite. Ensalada. Salchichas una. Patata"  
  
"How long have we got left?" Draco asked.  
  
Hermione held up her watch. "Three hours."  
  
Ron swore. "This is the last spell I have to learn, right?"  
  
"Yep. This one's the hardest so you have to concentrate, particularly on the last part. Again."  
  
"Slave driver."  
  
"Slacker."  
  
"Cruel taskmaster."  
  
"Lazy-"  
  
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Draco screamed. "If I have to listen to one more of these soppy, affectionate mock arguments I will scream so loud your eardrums will burst."  
  
"I agree." Harry said. They were all back in the kitchen, eating muffins that the fascinated house elf kept bringing them as an excuse for eavesdropping.  
  
"Would you prefer it if they really were fighting?" Ginny asked.  
  
"They are pretty scary when they fight." Harry agreed. "Like during the Sorting Feast last year, when Hermione took offense to a comment Ron made about her timetable."  
  
"And she picked up a silver platter full of baked tomatoes and threw it at his head." Draco said. "Then she tried to stab him with a barbecue fork."  
  
"I've still got scars." Ron said.  
  
"Oh, I didn't actually get you." Hermione snapped.  
  
"Wow. You have a worse temper than the Hermione I know." Ginny said, slightly frightened.  
  
.....................................................................................................................................  
  
"One hour left." Ginny said, glancing at her watch.  
  
"Would you stop with the countdown-to-Armageddon thing?" Ron asked.  
  
"Is it just me, or is time moving faster than it usually does?" Harry asked.  
  
"It's just you. I think that time is moving unbearably slowly." Draco said.  
  
"What, you're looking forward to a painful death?" Harry asked.  
  
"No, but I'd like to get this over with one way or another. The waiting is killing me." Draco explained.  
  
"You think the waiting is killing you? Just wait until the cursing part. Then you'll really know death." Ron said.  
  
"Cheerful, aren't you?" Fred or maybe George Weasley said. The twins' faces bore identical proud smiles. "Nobody will be caught unawares tonight." George (Fred?) announced. They were no longer carrying the white hats. Fred still had his clipboard, and George was now wielding a Quidditch bat. He solemnly offered it to Harry. "This is my lucky bat." He said, serious for possibly the first time in his life. "I've only been injured six times since I started using it." He placed it carefully on Harry's outstretched palms.  
  
"Do you really think we'll need that?" Hermione asked.  
  
George nodded. "Spells are good, but sometimes brute force is the only effective method."  
  
...................................................................................................................................  
  
Inside the teacher's lounge was a staircase that, according to the nameplate, led up to Professor Riddle's office. They stood at the bottom, knowing that they had to go up, but nobody made any move to do so.  
  
Harry was holding the bat so hard that his knuckles were snow white. "I remember this feeling." He said softly. "Once my father bought a bomb car because he wanted to go on a real muggle holiday. The car yard was at the top of a really steep hill. On the way down dad realised that the breaks didn't work properly. He panicked and lost control. That's what it feels like today. Like we're helplessly waiting to hit something that will kill us."  
  
"You're still alive." Ron pointed out. "What happened that day?"  
  
"Dad remembered that he's a wizard. He pulled out his wand and saved the day."  
  
"Well, we're about to pull out our wands and save the day." Hermione said.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and stepped up onto the first step.  
  
"Careful. There might be trip wires or alarm triggers." Ginny warned.  
  
"There'll at least be a creaky board." Hermione said.  
  
"A creaky board?" Harry asked.  
  
"Sure. World's first early warning system. Still very effective, cheap and impossible for the intruder to detect." Hermione said.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do? Step on the skirting boards?" Harry asked sarcastically.  
  
"Good idea." Hermione said.  
  
.....................................................................................................................................  
  
"Here comes that onrushing doom feeling again." Harry said, reaching for the doorknob of the little wooden door at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Do we have to go via the door? It's probably password protected." Ron said.  
  
"Well, its not like we can walk through the wall." Draco pointed out.  
  
"Yes we can." Ginny said.  
  
"How?" Ron asked.  
  
"My walking-through-walls amulet." Harry explained. He pulled it out of his pocket and put it on. He took Ginny's hand. She stared at him, puzzled for a second, then realised what he was doing. She took Ron's; who in turn linked arms with Hermione. Draco looked a bit upset when Hermione grabbed his hand, but her said nothing.  
  
Passing through a wall was much like the chilly, tingling feeling of passing through a ghost, except without the chill or the tingling. In fact, Ginny felt nothing at all. It was like passing through thin air.  
  
She didn't know what she expected to find inside. Black drapes maybe. Symbols painted on the floor in the blood of an innocent. Cages hanging from the ceiling perhaps. Candles and bubbling cauldrons full of foul concoctions. There were none of those. Never in her wildest imaginings (not that she had allowed herself to spend time thinking about what might be in Voldemort's office. It was scary enough without dwelling on it) had she considered that it might be set up like a private movie theatre.  
  
This frightened her more. Evil-arts cliches she could have handled, but the surround sound system, wide screen TV, comfortable armchair and popcorn machine chilled her.  
  
"My god." Hermione whispered. "He's gonna sit up here and watch the students die." The nausea in her voice echoed Ginny's own feelings.  
  
"Where is the sick bastard?" Draco asked.  
  
"The sick bastard is behind you." It wasn't like the deceptively kind voice of their DADA teacher. It was low and threatening, like the hissing of a snake preparing to strike. He seemed to float forward, and Harry and Ginny drifted apart involuntarily to allow him through.  
  
He draped himself across his armchair. "I see you like my cinema. It's state of the art, top of the line wizard technology. Compared to this beauty, muggle televisions are obsolete pieces of junk." He picked up his wand. "Shall we see what's going on in the dining room?" he asked. "Activus."  
  
The picture was indeed superior to the few televisions Ginny had seen in her short life. It was like they were in the dining room, watching the students file in and find seats, grim expressions on their faces. None of the usual chatter could be heard, save for the occasional short burst of nervous gossip from Lavender.  
  
Ginny tore her eyes from the screen and looked around at the other items in the room. Most were fairly mundane- a desk, a bookshelf, a fireplace. The walls were bare, except for what appeared to be a black clock hanging above the television. Ginny looked at it more closely and gasped in horror.  
  
"What?" Harry demanded, looking fearfully at the clock.  
  
"I'm not certain..." Ginny said. "I've only ever seen a non-functional model in a museum, but I think that's..."  
  
"A DeathWatch." Voldemort said proudly.  
  
"One of the more macabre novelty items available in the wizarding world." Hermione explained. "It.... It...sets off an alarm and reads out a name if someone dies within a 500 metre radius of it."  
  
"Would you kids like some popcorn?" Voldemort asked. "The show's about to start."  
  
On the screen, Professor Snape rose to his feet and held up his glass. "A toast." He said. His voice seemed to fill the office, because of Voldemort's high quality sound system. The focus on the screen was on the teachers. About half of them looked puzzled. The other half beamed with excitement. "A toast to Hogwarts, a fine school with a fine Headmaster. A Headmaster who has served here for many years. Here's a toast to the end of that service."  
  
Confusion swept over the room at those words. The end?  
  
Like a magician pulling roses out of thin air, Snape's wand appeared in his hand. (he'd been hiding it up his sleeve.)  
  
"Avada Kedavra." He said softly, pointing the wand at Dumbledore.  
  
The DeathWatch buzzed shrilly. A sweet, female voice, the kind you'd expect to hear if your phone call could not be connected, said:  
  
"Albus Dumbledore."  
  
While the non-evil population of Hogwarts was still frozen with shock, Snape raised his glass as high as he could. "A toast!" he shouted triumphantly, his voice echoing in the silent hall. "To our Dark Lord!"  
  
That was obviously the signal, as the Slytherins shouted "To our Dark Lord!" and leapt to their feet, wands at the ready.  
  
"Yes, to me, to me!" Voldemort shouted ecstatically.  
  
Hermione was the first to find her voice. As the first curse, a cruciatus, was flung across the hall, she managed to say "Usted tiene una enorme espinilla sobre su nariz."  
  
"What?" Voldemort asked.  
  
"Usted tiene una enorme espinilla sobre su nariz." Hermione repeated.  
  
"Do you really think that spell will work?" Voldemort asked.  
  
"Atrás. Atrás. Atrás. Adelantus." Hermione tried, moving on bravely.  
  
"Nope." Voldemort said gleefully. Onscreen panic ensued. Somehow, the long heavy Ravenclaw table had been turned on its side, and several students were trying to shield themselves behind it. Those that had some degree of protection were crying, praying and confessing their love to their crushes. Those who were unprotected were too busy dodging, defending and attempting the occasional attack to do anything of the sort.  
  
"Mi manzanus de herrerus es ácidus." Ron said.  
  
"No." Voldemort said, reaching for his popcorn bucket. "And you've got the emphasis all wrong anyway."  
  
The Death Eaters well and truly had the upper hand. The good guys onscreen had resorted to defending themselves by throwing chairs at the bad guys. This tactic was actually working quite well.  
  
"Sodomita esto. Me quedo sin." Draco said desperately, staring at the screen. Goyle was teasing a first year with the Imperius Curse, making her do the splits, an exercise she wasn't used to judging by her pained expression.  
  
"You too Draco?" Voldemort asked over the buzz of the DeathWatch as Susan Bones joined Dumbledore. "You were my most promising young follower in the other timeline. But here, your head is filled with nonsense about good and evil. I blame Potter."  
  
BUZZ "Justin Finch-Fletchley.  
  
"Leche pan aceite ensalada salchichas una patata" said Ron.  
  
"Oh, do be quiet." Voldemort snapped. "I can't hear the terror."  
  
"That was the last spell." Ginny whispered, her heart sinking. "We're still in this timeline."  
  
BUZZ "Cho Chang"  
  
BUZZ "Minerva McGonagall"  
  
BUZZ "Blaise Zabini"  
  
"Blaise was one of the bad ones, right?" Hermione asked. She was crying. Crying out of frustration, fear and grief for her classmates. They were falling faster and faster, the death toll read by that terrible clock.  
  
BUZZ "Neville Longbottom"  
  
BUZZ "Colin Creevey"  
  
BUZZ "Mandy Brocklehurst"  
  
BUZZ "Lavender Brown"  
  
There were some white hats left on the screen, but their wearers were fighting a losing battle.  
  
"I grow bored." Voldemort said, taking another handful of popcorn. "Its no fun watching other people wreak havoc."  
  
BUZZ "Morag MacDougal"  
  
"Its much more fun to do it yourself." He said sadly. "I should be out there, but its too dangerous." Then a wicked grin spread across his face. "I know what I can do!" he said cheerfully. He whipped out his wand and shouted "Avada Kedavra!"  
  
BUZZ "Harry Potter"  
  
A piercing scream filled the room. Ginny never figured out if it was her or Hermione. Maybe it was both of them.  
  
"Harry!" Ginny shouted.  
  
"That was remarkably easy." Voldemort said, kicking Harry's body for good measure. "No mummy to save you this time Potter."  
  
"You killed Harry!" Ginny screamed.  
  
"Gee, I hadn't noticed." Voldemort snapped.  
  
Quivering with rage, Ginny surprised even herself by picking up the Quidditch bat Harry had dropped.  
  
"What are you gonna do with that?" Voldemort sneered.  
  
"This." She said. She swung it in a wide arc. It connected with Voldemort's crotch with all the force she could muster. He screamed like a girl and fell to his knees. She swung it again, and it slammed into his left temple. He dropped like a stone.  
  
"You think I've lived with George and Fred for fourteen years without learning how to swing one of these properly?" she asked, panting. Then she dropped the bat, crumbled to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably.  
  
"She killed Voldemort." Ron said, his voice respectful, awed and slightly scared.  
  
As if reinforcing this, the DeathWatch buzzed. "Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort, The dark Lord, You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."  
  
"All that, and he was killed by a lump of wood." Hermione said. Then she snapped and copied Ginny, collapsing into the chair and sobbing. Ron sat beside her and wrapped her in a hug, rocking her gently. "It'll be okay." He whispered. "It has to be."  
  
Draco was also crying, but trying not to show it. His shoulders shook gently and he wiped the tears away as soon as they fell. He refused to make any noise.  
  
The buzzing of the DeathWatch reminded them that the end of Voldemort was not the end of the danger.  
  
BUZZ "Vincent Crabbe"  
  
Draco picked up the discarded bat and smashed the clock. It wheezed one last name (Terry Boot) and fell silent. Then Draco turned on the television, reducing it to a pile of wires and glass, as if by destroying it he could stop what was going on onscreen. He pushed over the speakers, ripped the books off the shelf and threw the popcorn machine out the window.  
  
"Trashing the room isn't going to help, Malfoy" Ron said.  
  
Draco ignored him and began raining blows down on the desk in the corner. The desk must have been cheap or old or both, because it splintered and snapped in two pieces, then three then four. Draco yanked out the drawers before reducing the chunks of desk to a pile of splinters. He then went through the drawers, throwing important documents and letters onto the fire. The stapler, hole punch and sticky tape followed the popcorn maker out the window. In the bottom drawer there was nothing but a large hourglass. Draco flung it against the wall, shattering it.  
  
Hermione looked up. "Was that a Time Turner?" she sniffed, wiping her eyes.  
  
"You'd know better than me." Draco said, picking up a random book and ripping the spine off.  
  
"Surely Voldemort wouldn't use something as simple as a Time Turner to alter the past." Ron said.  
  
"Simple, but effective." Hermione said. Her bushy hair was lifted by a light breeze.  
  
"What happens when a Time Turner is destroyed?" Ron asked. The breeze picked up the pages of the book Draco had destroyed. It also picked up the sand from the Time Turner, whipping it into their faces.  
  
"I'm not sure." Hermione said. "But I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that.." her words were whipped away by the wind that was blowing inside the small office.  
  
.......................................................................................................................................  
  
Ginny woke up with a scream. She was plagued by many nightmares in the days following Voldemort and Harry's death.  
  
Often in the nightmares Draco didn't find the Time Turner and they just stayed there until Snape came and killed them.  
  
Sometimes she dreamed that destroying the Time Turner didn't set things right. Instead, it meant that they would be forever stuck in the other timeline where Harry was dead and they were hunted and killed one by one by Death Eaters.  
  
Her mother raced into her room, dressed in a fluffy pink dressing gown. She sat on the bed and gave Ginny a big hug. "Shhh." She whispered soothingly. "Destroying a Time Turner reverses any effects it may have had on the course of time. Harry is alive and well and he owled Ron yesterday. Dumbledore is the very much alive headmaster of Hogwarts and your DADA teacher is a perfectly normal young woman named Madame Nettoye. She has shown no tendency towards killing anyone and she spends all of her time talking about how much better things were at Beauxbatons. Everything is okay with the world."  
  
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................  
  
A/N: It's not over yet. There are still some loose ends, like Ron's speech and of course, Dumbledore has to explain everything that is still a mystery and say something wise. This is the second last chapter. 


	12. Conclusion

Ch 12  
  
Ginny took a week off school after that. Just about everybody did. The few that chose to stay were forced to go home after a couple of days because they kept having flashbacks and screaming their heads off every time they walked into the Great Hall.  
  
Everybody remembered what happened in the other timeline, but it was rarely talked about. It was just too hard to find the appropriate words to voice complex issues like `last week I saw you die a painful death. But you're right here, eating your cereal.'  
  
Harry took several months off school. Dumbledore mailed him a package full of schoolwork every week and steadfastly refused to tell anyone where he had gone. Most people had a theory about where he was. Some said he'd gone to St Mungo's for treatment. Others believed that he'd gotten on his broom for a `short fly to clear his head' and ended up in Canada. There were many, many rumours about his location, each one weirder than the last.  
  
Strangely, not a single person suggested that he might have gone home to the Dursleys.  
  
It made sense that he needed time off. Not only had he been hit by the killing curse, which everyone agreed was the worst experience possible, he also had to grieve for his parents again.  
  
......................................................................................................................................  
  
Ginny didn't see Harry until Christmas Eve. Draco Malfoy, who hated Ron in both timelines, was not going to let him get away without reading the speech. He'd been kind enough to provide a soapbox for Ron to stand on.  
  
Ginny sat on a bench nearby watching him, dressed in a warm green parka with a faux fur lined hood and jeans. Luckily for Ron, it was snowing lightly, so no one wanted to stop and hear his speech.  
  
Harry turned up when he was on page two. He sat silently next to her for a while, trying to think of something to say. There was so much to talk about that he couldn't think of any one thing. He offered her a `Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean'.  
  
"No thanks." She said. "Once I swallowed a whole handful of them. Chocolate, tomato, coconut and vinyl flavour. It put me off them for life."  
  
He grimaced and they lapsed back into silence.  
  
"Where've you been?" she asked, when Ron moved onto the fourth page. The speech got significantly worse. Malfoy had become more creative towards the end.  
  
"Remus Lupin's house," he said. "I had to sleep locked in the attic once a month, but it was better than the Dursley's."  
  
Hermione was standing next to Ron's soapbox, offering moral support and throwing snowballs at anyone with a camera. "Ron and Hermione." Harry said thoughtfully. "What's going on there? He's made a point of never talking about her when he writes."  
  
"I'm not sure what the deal is. The official story is that they've gone back to being just friends while they try to figure things out. Hermione's scared that a relationship that worked in the other, Dark Lord free timeline won't work in this world and they'll ruin their friendship. But, having memories of being boyfriend and girlfriend make things awkward. Sometimes when they're not paying attention they'll do something coupleish, like holding hands or kissing goodnight. Everyone's taking bets on how long it will take for them to give up and be a couple again. My money's on at least a year. They're both very stubborn people. What about you and Draco Malfoy?"  
  
"We discussed it, and we've decided not to date." He joked, spitting out a Brussels sprout flavoured bean.  
  
"Very funny. Seriously, are you two friends or something now?"  
  
"We're something. Not quite friends, not quite enemies. On one hand, I have memories of him as a great friend, but I also have five years of memories of him being a nasty prick. Its too confusing."  
  
"Poor Ron just has two sets of memories of him being nasty. Altogether it makes ten years of bullying."  
  
Silence descended again. Ginny hoped that they wouldn't have two many of these stop-and-start conversations. They were very uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about your parents." She said softly.  
  
Ron had stopped reading the speech. Instead, he was screaming at Malfoy about something. This display was actually attracting more of a crowd than the speech did. A few people threw coins at Ron's feet.  
  
"Now that I'm capable of thinking rationally again, I know that what happened was really for the best. And... did I ever tell you about the Mirror of Erised?"  
  
"Ron did."  
  
"Yeah, well, my greatest desire, according to the mirror, was to know my family. I suppose I got that. An extra fifteen years worth of memories of holidays and family dinners and trips to Quidditch matches. I still daydream about what-ifs though."  
  
"I do too."  
  
Ron resumed his speech, after a lot of threatening from Malfoy. "You know what I still don't get?" Harry asked, tossing his empty Bertie Botts packet into the bin.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why you were the only one who knew that things had changed."  
  
"I think I can explain that for you." Dumbledore said, sitting down on the bench beside them.  
  
"Hello Professor Dumbledore." Ginny said politely.  
  
"Good morning Miss Weasley. Do you wish to know why you could see what the others couldn't?"  
  
"I am rather curious." She said. That was an understatement. She had driven herself to the edge of insanity trying to figure it out.  
  
"You see my dear, you are one of the few people in this world that had absolutely nothing to gain by the change. Harry gained parents, Ron gained Hermione, Draco had back the loving father that Lucius Malfoy was before Voldemort corrupted his soul. Neville Longbottom gained sane parents. Hufflepuff got their heroic head of house back, and so on. You were the only one who wasn't blinded by the sudden improvement in the quality of life."  
  
"You know, that actually makes sense." Ginny said.  
  
"Of course it makes sense. I said it."  
  
Ron completed his speech and climbed off his soapbox, glowing red with humiliation. Hermione put an arm around his shoulder and took him off for ice cream to cheer him up.  
  
"I shall be off then." Dumbledore said. "I have people to buy socks for," he sighed wistfully.  
  
"Wait." Ginny said. "One more thing. How did Snape teach potions and pretend to be Harry at the same time?"  
  
"Why, that's easy. Peter Pettigrew, professor Snape and You-Know-Who were taking turns pretending to be Harry." With this explanation he tipped his pointy hat and disapparated.  
  
"Its time for me to go too I suppose." Harry said sadly. "Remus is uh... busy tonight, so I have to go buy some pizza or something for dinner.  
  
"Harry, why don't you come spend Christmas with us?" Ginny asked impulsively, knowing her mum wouldn't mind. "That way mum won't have to post you your Weasley sweater. Our family owl hates working at Christmas."  
  
Harry smiled. "That would be great."  
  
"Lets go then."  
  
They rose to follow Ron and Hermione, but Harry stopped a few steps away from the bench. "Ginny." He said nervously.  
  
"Yes?" she asked. It had begun to snow again, and tiny snowflakes had settled on her eyelashes and in her hair, making her shiver.  
  
Harry leaned forward and briefly pressed his lips to hers. "Thanks for avenging my death."  
  
"Anytime." She whispered.  
  
They walked off hand in hand. "Is there life after death?" she asked him as they disappeared into the crowd.  
  
"I'm not allowed to tell you." He said.  
  
"Who won't let you tell? Someone from the afterlife?"  
  
"I'm not allowed to tell you."  
  
"Aha! There is an afterlife. If there wasn't you wouldn't be smiling like that."  
  
"I'm smiling like that because you're so cute."  
  
"Don't lie. There's an afterlife."  
  
"Well, you didn't hear it from me, but..."  
  
After they had disappeared from view, Colin Creevey (who had survived a snowballing from Hermione) emerged from the shadows and ran off to sell the romantic picture of Harry and Ginny in the snow to the first journalist he could find.  
  
A/N So, that's the end. Dumbledore's explanation wouldn't make sense in the real world, but its perfectly logical if you compare it to his explanation that Harry survived because his mum loved him. 


End file.
